Two teens, one with brown hair that some have joked resembles a Kuriboh and one with teal hair, were running down the streets in a rush. One may wonder where these teens were off to in such a hurry. Well, as it turns out, today was the day that the practical exams to test if one can enter Duel Academy were to take place. The girl, named Jaden Yuki, and the boy, named Jesse Anderson, were running late due to his train taking longer to get to Dominio City than expected. Jaden and Jesse, however, weren't worried about this. Jaden learned in her fifteen years on this planet to not let challenges and adversity in life get you down. Running late is one such challenge to not let upset you. Besides, it wouldn't be worth it if there was no challenge.
"Alright! I got my deck, I got my gear, and I got about two minutes to get to the
Duel Monster's entrance exams before they start. Aw well. At least since I'm not a student yet, they can't throw me in detention hall for being late!" Jaden said with plenty of optimism as she rushed past a bunch of pedestrians.
"Agreed, Jaden! So, you wanna try to race over the rest of the way to Kaibaland?" Jesse asked his younger adoptive sister.
Suddenly, Jaden ended up crashing into someone, some of her Duel Monster's cards scattering across the ground. "Ah, Jaden and Jesse. How are things going with you both?" The man, Yugi Muto, asked.
"Things are goin' great, Yugi! We're on our way to Kaibaland as we speak," Jesse Anderson said.
"Yup! I'm here to try out at the Academy!" Jaden answered as she tried to pick up her cards.
The man chuckled good-naturedly as he reached for his own cards in his pocket. "You don't say."
Having finished picking up her cards, Jaden chuckled before saying, "So, how are you and your friends doing these days? I mean, it's been a while since we've seen you guys."
"Things have been going fine. Tristan and Tea have been doing great, with Tea adding plenty of fire onto the dance floor in New York and Joey has been beating Duelist after Duelist in the Pro League. Percy is currently back in America for the time being. Julia is out mining for rare gems. I'm here to visit my grandpa before returning to the Pro League myself," Yugi answered.
"Sounds great! Do you guys think you'll have the time to celebrate us gettin' into Duel Academy?" Jesse asked.
"Probably. Hey, Jaden, seeing as how you don't have your own spirit card yet, why don't you take this? Something tells me that it belongs with you," Yugi said as he handed Jaden the card.
"Wow, for real?" Jaden said amazed as Yugi wished him luck before leaving. Quickly, Jaden tried to thank Yugi. "Thank you! I'll, uh, make you proud!" Jaden said with a bow as Yugi responded with a thumbs up.
"Hey, don't forget about me! I plan on also winning and getting into Duel Academy," Jesse bit back good-naturedly.
"I haven't forgot about you, Jesse. I wish you luck as well," Yugi said as he left. At this point, Jaden looked at the card she was given.
After seeing Jaden obtain a massive grin, Jesse questioned, "Everythin' okay there, Jay?"
"It's just that he's so CUTE!" Jaden squeed in joy as she revealed her Winged Kuriboh. Jaden then looked at her watch and realized she was late for the practical duel exam. "Uh oh! The exam! I can't become the next Queen of Games if I'm late to the games!"
"Yeah, no kiddin'!" Jesse agreed as they both ran for the exam, Jaden pocketing his Winged Kuriboh as he did so.
"Once again, all Academy applicants who have already passed their duel entrance exam, please report to registration. For those who have failed, better luck next year," A proctor said over the loudspeaker inside of the Kaiba Dome where many young Duelists were dueling to enter the prestigious Duel School.
"And have fun at Duel Monster's community college," A man with yellow hair giggled in his head, happy to think about those that could taint the Academy's good name not being able to enter the school.
Meanwhile, a blue-haired teen named Syrus, meanwhile, was in the middle of one of the school entrance Duels, being attacked directly by a Leghul. "Aw man! I can barely concentrate with all these Academy kids staring at me. Judging me! What I wouldn't give to already be enrolled in the school like them," The teen thought.
"Last call for all academy applicants. If you have not checked in for your exam, please do so now," The man over the loudspeaker said as the people outside were getting ready to pack up and go inside.
"Well ladies, that's it. Mark all the no-shows no shows," the man in charge of checking people in said with a nod.
"Wait! We're no no-shows!" Jaden yelled out as the man and two women looked over to the source of the voice, which turned out to be from the lower level as Jaden climbed up to where the trio were, with Jesse being not too far behind. "You can count Jaden Yuki and Jesse Anderson as present, thank you!"
"Yup. Sorry to keep ya' waitin'. Our train took a while to get here and we are from out of town," Jesse added on as he reached where Jaden was.
"But don't worry, we're here now! Well… just so long as we don't lose our grip!" Jaden joked with a laugh.
Having managed to win his duel, Syrus sighed as he watched the last of the entrance duels. Meanwhile, Jaden had just gotten inside and was happy to see that a duel was still in progress. "Wow, look at 'em go!" Jaden cheered.
"I know! Do you think that the examinee will win, Jay?" Jesse asked his younger sister.
"Only one way to find out," Jaden said with a grin.
Everyone was watching the duel with interest, from the teachers to the students, both current and to be. The student Duelist was dressed in white, had 3200 Life Points, and controlled Vorse Raider and a set card. The dueling proctor has 1900 Life Points and controlled two highly defensive monsters, Big Shield Gardna and Gear Golem the Moving Fortress.
"All right, new guy, multiple choice. You got two highly defensive monsters staring you down, blocking off your ability to attack. Do you "A," throw in the towel, "B," beg for mercy, or "C," run home to mama?" The proctor asked the student to be, testing how he would react to this type of situation.
"I'll go with "D." None of the above," The student said as he played Ring of Destruction.
"A trap?" The proctor was surprised, yet impressed.
"Exactly, you see with Ring of Destruction I can destroy any monster on the field that's in Attack mode… and then we both take damage equal to that monster's Attack points!" The student said as he destroyed his Vorse Raider, the students were all cheering over the victory (Proctor-0 LP)(Student-1300 LP).
"Clever move, applicant. Welcome to the academy," The proctor wished the teen luck.
"Thank you, oh, wise proctor," The student thanked with a bow.
Meanwhile, a teen with blue hair and wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform, was sitting with his friends marveling over the duel. "Wow, that guy is pretty good, don't you think, Chazz?" The teen asked.
"Guess the rumors about him being some kind of whiz-kid were true, huh, Chazz?" A brown haired teen in blue asked Chazz.
"He's a punk! We went to duel prep school for the past three years, we're ready for the Academy! These kids don't know what they're gettin' into. But they'll learn… the hard way. The Chazz Princeton way," Chazz gloated.
Back with Jaden and Syrus…
"Wow, that last guy really tore it up!" Jaden was impressed.
"Yeah- Bastion Misawa, they say he got the highest score on the written exam out of all us applicants," Syrus revealed.
"Wow, that guy sounds really smart. I didn't do so great on the exam, but I was able to pass," Jesse said.
"Same here. I just barely passed!" Jaden admitted.
"Yeah, me too. My name's Syrus, by the way. Nice to meet you. I kind of have a thing where I get test anxiety- I don't know how I won my match," Syrus revealed to Jaden.
"So you're in! Congratulations!" Jaden said as she patted Syrus on the back, surprising the blue-haired teen. "We'll be in, too, as soon as we win our duels," Jaden said.
"Wait. You haven't dueled for entry yet?" Syrus asked in concern.
"Not yet!" Jaden confirmed.
"Me neither. We kinda got here a little late, but we're here now. Why is that a problem?" Jesse asked Syrus.
"Afraid so. I think this duel was supposed to be the last one!" Syrus revealed, which shocked Jaden and Jesse.
"Well, that can't be good," Jesse muttered as he shook his head.
"B-But… this was supposed to be our year, Jesse! What are we gonna say to our dad now?!" Jaden cried out in worry.
At this, Jesse placed a comforting hand on Jaden. "Hey, don't worry Jay. We still got here just in time. I bet we'll still be given a chance to get into this here school," Jesse said to comfort Jaden.
It worked as Jaden smiled. "Thanks, Jesse. We will get into this school. They can't just turn us away after all this."
"Looks like we have a pretty good crop this year," One proctor said as they looked over a list of all the students.
"Yes, indeedy," Another proctor agreed.
Just as a man named Dr. Crowler was about to close his book, the man from outside arrived and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but two last applicants have arrived to take their exams, Mr. Crowler."
"Did you just call me "Mister?!"" Crowler asked in annoyance.
"Oh, sorry, I'm new here, Mrs.-," The man apologized.
"I have a Ph.D in dueling, I've earned the title Doctor, thank you! Now, tell the truants that they'll just have to come back next year," Dr. Crowler rudely declined.
"Oh, come on, Dr. Crowler, we have time for one more, maybe even two!" One proctor pleaded.
"Yes, let's give these duelists a shot!" Another proctor agreed.
"They were just a little late is all. They would have gotten here sooner if their train wasn't late getting here," A third proctor reasoned.
Suddenly, Dr. Crowler yelled out, "Late is rude! Besides, his test score was barely a passing grade. Even if we gave him a shot he wouldn't be worthy of the great Duel Academy."
"But-," One proctor tried to argue.
"I've no time for slackers!" Dr. Crowler growled. Suddenly, Crowler's phone rang and he answered, "Hello? And whom may I ask is-,"
"It's Sheppard," The Chancellor answered.
In an instant, Crowler's sour mood vanished, "Ah, it's Chancellor Shephard."
"I'm just calling to make sure that everything's running smoothly, Crowler. Wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last year. When you cut a third of our student applicants for some ridiculous reason… What was it, calling you Mr. or Mrs.? Whatever. I've heard from some of your fellow teachers that you plan on not giving two potential students a chance. Look, our school is supposed to bring about the best in it's students. Just make sure everyone gets a fair shot," Sheppard said.
"O-Oh! A-Absolutely. Goodbye, Chancellor," Crowler said cheerfully as he hung up, before grumbling, "Furry chinned windbag." "Doesn't he realize that there are enough talentless flunkies at this Academy?! But, he's the boss. And if he wants to give these two slackers a duel then fine," Crowler thought to himself. "Pardon, me, but I'll be the opponent of this fine gentleman.
"So, what test deck will you use against the young men?" One proctor asked as he got out a box of dueling decks.
"Oh, let me handle it," Crowler said as he walked off.
As Bastion Misawa sat down near Syrus and Jaden, Jaden said, "Tight duel, Bastion!"
Bastion turned around and saw Jaden leaning on her seat. "Thank you."
"From the looks of it, you might just be the third best duelist here!" Jaden admitted, much to the shock of Bastion.
"Yep. You'll definitely be a great student at Duel Academy. We'll be joinin' you and Syrus soon," Jesse said optimistically.
Suddenly, a man talked over the loudspeaker announced," Jaden Yuki and Jesse Anderson, please report to Exam Field 4."
"Go time! Wish us luck, guys!" Jaden cheerfully said to her new friends as she began walking down the stairs.
"This match should be a piece of cake," Jesse agreed as he followed.
"Hey, wait. If I'm the third best, who's first, let alone second?" Bastion wondered.
"Ha. Yours truly is first. It's what I'm best at!" Jaden answered.
"Hey! I thought I was first!" Jesse argued good-naturedly.
As Bastion gasped in surprise, an impressed Syrus responded, "Wow, he's so sure of himself! I wonder if he and his brother are really that good."
"He's going to need to be. Look who he's dueling," Bastion said as he pointed toward Exam Field 4, with the lights turning on.
Jaden and Jesse entered the field via an elevator as two women helped Crowler get on his Duel Vest.
"Alright! Test time, you two!" Crowler said as he addressed the duo. "So, son, you are named Jaden Yuki, right?" Crowler asked.
"Yep, the name's Jaden Yuki!" Jaden answered.
"And ai'm Jesse Anderson. Don't let the different last names fool ya' teach. We're siblings, Jaden and I," Jesse said.
"Well then, Jesse Anderson and Jaden Yuki, I'm Dr. Vellian Crowler, Department Chair of Techniques here at Duel Academy," Crowler answered.
"Wow, a Department Chair. I had no idea. From how you were dressed I was thinking you were some kind of weird Academy Mascot. Still, this is pretty cool having someone of such prestige be my opponent. You must be expecting a lot from us," Jaden said.
"I know! See, Jaden? I told ya we'd be gettin' good treatment at this place," Jesse agreed.
"You know, now that he mentions it…," The blue haired friend of Chazz said.
"This kid's got some lip, huh, Chazz? Still, it may be that the two are worth something to be acknowledged so soon," The brown haired kid offered.
At this, Chazz growled. He was to be the best duelist of the freshmen year, not some small named punks like Jesse and Jaden!
"Duel vest on!" Crowler commanded his strange duel disk as he drew his hand of five cards.
"Wow! That duel vest you have looks pretty cool!" Jaden said cheerfully.
"If a bit impractical. So, Dr., where do you get one of those strange vests, anyway?" Jesse asked.
"Oh, you would need a lot of hard work and extremely high marks," Dr. Crowler answered.
"Well, so much for me gettin' one. Jesse said. "Still, we can have fun and get into the Pro League if nothin' else.
"Of course, you first have to get in to Duel Academy. And I intend to ensure that won't be happening for either of you," Dr. Crowler thought to himself.
"Well! I'm ready!" Jaden said, interrupting and annoying the doctor.
"Let's duel!" All three Duelists cried out.
"To make things more fair, both of you will each have 4000 Life Points while I'll have 8000 points to myself. That good?" Crowler asked in a faux innocent way.
"Sure thing, teach! Now, I'll make the first move. I'll summon out Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise to my field in Defense Mode (2000 Defense)! I end my turn with a facedown," Jesse finished up his turn.
Everyone present was shocked to see the monster that was summoned to Jesse's field.
"Whoa! What card is that?! I haven't heard of a Crystal Beast before!" Syrus cried out.
"I guess I can't blame you. The Crystal Beasts are very rare one of a kind cards that are rumored to only work with a specific person of their own choosing. I think the idea is a bit absurd, but it shall be interesting to see what this Jesse fellow can do with these cards," Bastion said.
"The Crystal Beasts! How can a no name punk like him have cards like those?!" Chazz yelled out in anger.
"No clue. Though, to be fair, Chazz, just because he has them doesn't mean he can use them properly," Chazz's blue haired friend tried to comfort Chazz's ego.
"No way! Those cards ended up showing up here?! I wonder what those two's story is?" Alexis wondered to herself.
"My, my, my! Looks like you do have a very rare set of cards! I'm curious. Where did you get them from?" Dr. Crowler wondered, genuinely curious.
"I got 'em from my dad! He said these cards would be perfect for me, and the cards thought so too!" Jesse said.
"Right. Of course. Now, Jaden, make your move soon, please," Dr. Crowler demanded.
"Here goes!" Jaden cried out as she drew her first card. "Sweet. I'm gonna summon Elemental Hero Avian in Defense Mode (1000 Defense)! I'll also throw down a facedown as well. All right! Get your game on!"
"Yes. Very good. Don't tell me what to do," Crowler muttered in annoyance to himself as he drew his card. "After all, since I'm using my own personal Deck rather than one of those test ones, I'll be calling all the shots. I'll fail those insolent little brats and send them both home in no time!" Crowler thought to himself. "All right, I'll begin by activating the spell card Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards. Next, I think I'll go nice and easy. I choose to play the spell card Confiscation!"
"Okay, so what's it do?" Jaden asked.
"What it does is allow me to pay 1000 Life Points for the chance to peak at your hand and toss one of your cards into the graveyard! Oh, yes, I remember some of these from back when I was a naive rookie!" Dr. Crowler said, much to the annoyance of both Jaden and Jesse.
Dr. Crowler
7000
Jesse
4000
Jaden
4000
"Why is he being so harsh towards the Deck I put my heart and soul into?" Jaden asked.
"I don't think it's your fault, Jaden. Crowler is just being a jerk," Jesse tried to comfort his younger sister.
"Now, which one shall I banish? Monster Reborn, to the graveyard!" Dr. Crowler decided as Jaden groaned at the bad luck. "Next, I'll lay two cards facedown on the field. And last, but not least, I'll play Heavy Storm! This spell card destroys every other spell and trap card that's out on the field!"
As a furious tornado sprang up across the field, all of the spell and trap cards on the field were blown away.
"Whoopsie! Did you forget that you had two trap cards out on the field, yourself?!" Jaden reminded Crowler.
"Um, Jaden-," Jesse started to warn as Crowler chuckled.
"Now, now. You mustn't speak out of turn, young scholar!" Dr. Crowler said mockingly as a dark haze surrounded the field.
"What's happening?" Jaden asked, confused.
"What's happening? Nothing's happening. Not yet! But that's about to change!" Crowler cried out as two Wicked Tokens appeared on the field in Attack Mode (1000).
"So, anyone wanna tell me what's going on?" Syrus asked, confused as to what just happened.
"Simple. The two trap cards that Dr. Crowler had on the field were called Statue of the Wicked," Bastion began to explain. "It's a special trap that creates a vicious token monster when destroyed. If you were wondering, that's why he played Heavy Storm."
"A card that strong couldn't be in one of the test Decks. Crowler must be using his own!" The blue haired teen realized.
"Then this is over. No applicant could best the Deck of an expert like Dr. Crowler!" The brown haired teen said.
"Yeah, those two fools can't beat him. It's impossible, don't you think, Chazz?" The blue haired teen asked.
"Yeah. What do you think, Chazz?"
Chazz, feeling relieved that Crowler wasn't thinking anything special of his opponents, answered, "I think I'm gonna enjoy watching Crowler mop the floor with our mouthy little pals down there. I only wish he treated all the other second rate Duelists who applied to this Academy the same way."
Meanwhile, an Obelisk Blue teenage girl named Alexis Rhodes responded, "What an elitist snob. Bullying some amateur and his brother with his very best cards."
Alexis's friend, meanwhile, said, "You're too soft, Alexis. I just hope we get to see that legendary rare Monster Crowler has had stashed away in that Deck of his."
"Are you ready for your next lesson?" Dr. Crowler questioned the duo.
"You bet! I can't remember the last time learning was this much fun!" Jaden said cheerfully.
"Um, Jaden? You do realize that Crowler is about to Tribute Summon, right?" Jesse warned.
"I do! I wonder what beast he's gonna play!" Jaden said.
Crowler looked a bit annoyed before responding, "Yes, well, I'm quite an excellent teacher, thank you. Now I'm gonna-,"
"You won't be doing anything, Dr. because I activate the effect of my trap card from the graveyard Crystal Explosion! With it, if my opponent has more monsters out than I do, I can destroy them all!" Jesse interrupted.
"What?! But- My Golem is-," Crowler muttered horrified.
"Not gonna stop us from getting into this school, teach! Look, I've heard that some teachers at this school have access to an Ancient Gear deck and I've learned how to counter it accordingly. Now, we can attack you on our next turns and win this duel!" Jesse cheered.
Suddenly, Crowler went from frustrated and horrified to happy. "Well, I'm afraid things aren't over yet! I play the spell Graceful Charity! With it, I can draw three cards in exchange for discarding two. Next up, I play the spell card Ancient Gear Fortress! Now, Ancient Gear monsters I control can't be targeted or destroyed by my opponent's card effects during the turn they are Normal or Special Summoned. It will also prevent either of you from activating any cards or effects in response to the activation of any "Ancient Gear" card. Now, as I control no monsters, I'll activate "Ancient Gear Catapult", letting me target and destroy a face-up card I control and Special Summon an "Ancient Gear" monster from my Deck, ignoring the Summoning conditions."
"Wait. What is Dr. Crowler trying to do?" Syrus wondered. "I don't get why he is even playing these cards if he'll just waste them."
"Hold on. I think I know what he's up to," Bastion warned.
"So, I'll destroy Fortress and Special Summon out to my field Ancient Gear Knight (1800 Attack)! As Fortress was destroyed, its effect activates, letting me Special Summon an Ancient Gear monster from my hand or Graveyard, but in exchange I may not Special Summon any monsters for the rest of this turn except "Ancient Gear" monsters. I Special Summon Ancient Gear Wyvern from my graveyard in Attack Position (1700/1200). As it was Normal or Special Summoned, its effect activates, letting me add an Ancient Gear monster from my Deck to my hand. And, what do you know? I'll add another copy of Ancient Gear Golem!" Crowler revealed, to the excitement of Jaden and Jesse.
"You mean after the effort Jesse took to stop that Tribute Summon Crowler will have managed to do so anyway?!" Syrus was shocked.
"I'm afraid so. Looks like Jesse and Jaden may not be getting into this school after all," Bastion said as he shook his head.
"And now, I sacrifice both my Ancient Gear monsters and summon Ancient Gear Golem (3000 Attack)!" Dr. Crowler cried out as his ace monster got onto the field.
"There it is! The legendary rare card!" Alexis said in awe.
"And I'd say we're about to find out just what makes it so legendary," Alexis's friend commented.
"Now, now. I hope you two aren't too scared of my Ancient Gear Golem!" Crowler said in a false nice way.
"Not really! You may have been able to summon it, but that doesn't mean you'll win. If anything, being able to beat it will make things even more fun!" Jesse said confidently.
"Yeah! I personally always wanted to take one on!" Jaden said confidently.
Pretty much everyone in the arena gasped in response to Jaden's comment.
"Either Jaden's brave or he's nuts!" Syrus yelled.
"They're staring down that legendary rare monster like they don't have a care in the world. I guess that youth and inexperience have their benefits after all, huh Alexis?" Alexis's friend asked her.
"Come on, give it a rest, Zane. At least the kid's showing some backbone, though it looks like the two kids may not stand much of a chance getting into the school if they don't think fast," Alexis said.
"There won't be much of it to show after this," Zane noted.
"Hey, I just realized. You can only attack one of us, meaning that even if you defeat one of us, the other can think up a counterattack! Didn't think of that, did ya teach?!" Jesse realized.
"Actually, I have a counter for that. I play the equip spell card Ancient Gear Buster. Now, if my Ancient Gear Golem destroys an opposing monster in battle, he can make a second attack so long as that attack isn't a direct attack!" Dr. Crowler played.
"Well, so much for that plan," Jesse said.
"Now, Golem, attack! Mechanized Melee! Crush that gem!" Crowler yelled out.
"I activate my monster's ability! When my kin would be destroyed by battle, I can send them to the Spell and Trap Card Zone instead," Jesse explained, with this fact being proven by Emerald Tortoise becoming a simple gem on the field.
Crowler then yelled out, "Then, follow it up and destroy Jaden's Avian!" Crowler cried out as he made a pose.
"Aw, Jaden and Jesse's monsters didn't stand a chance! Their Defense points ended up being way too low! This isn't looking good," Syrus said, looking worried.
"And it's about to look a lot worse. When that Ancient Gear Golem attacks a monster in Defense mode, the difference between its Attack points and the defending monster's Defense points gets dealt to the opponent as damage," Bastion explained.
"And that means… Jaden and Jesse's Life Points end up taking a big hit!" Syrus yelled.
Crowler
7000
Jesse
3000
Jaden
2000
As Jesse looked around, he saw that his sister appeared to be crying, he looked ready to say something comforting only for Dr. Crowler to interrupt.
"Now, now. Don't feel bad, you two. This is the top dueling school in the world some people simply aren't cut out for-," Dr. Crowler said, only to stop upon realizing that Jaden wasn't crying. He was laughing.
"Boy, I really want to come to this school now, teach," Jaden said with a grin. "You really know your stuff!"
"Aw, Jaden! You're okay! For a moment I thought you were feelin' down before the duel got to be really fun," Jesse said.
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't trade this duel for the world! I'm having too much fun with you!" Jaden cheered.
"I can't believe it! Can't these two boys take a hint? They will not be allowed to pass this exam. And they certainly won't be permitted to make a mockery of my Deck!" Crowler thought as he trembled in fury.
"Just look at him tremble! He must really be impressed by us!" Jaden thought. "Now, Jesse, make your move."
"Alright. My move. I summon to my field Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger in Defense mode (1000 Defense). I'll also play two facedowns and end my turn," Jesse played.
"Now, it's my move!" Jaden said as he drew his card. Suddenly, he heard a coo noise come from his deck. "Huh?" Jaden drew his card and saw that it was Winged Kuriboh, the same card he got from Yugi earlier. "Oh, it's you!" At this Jaden remembered what Yugi said earlier about how the card belongs with him. "You know what? Something's starting to tell me that, too." At this Winged Kuriboh winked at Jaden. "Well, okay? I'll take that as a sign to play you. Yeah. Definitely." "Okay, I summon Winged Kuriboh in Defense mode (200 Defense)! And I'll place one card facedown. Not bad, huh teach?"
At this, Crowler laughed. "No, not bad, but you must understand I'm a master technician! A Kuriboh to me is rather pedestrian… even one with wings, you see, its Defense Points are still no match for my Ancient Gear Golem. It's a textbook mistake, don't feel bad."
"Yeah, don't feel bad, Jay. If I remember right your monster does have a helpful ability," Jesse comforted his sister.
"Thanks, Jesse. I'm sure you'll have a combo to help me out and help us win!" Jaden cheered.
"Now, let's proceed! With the legendary Ancient Gear Golem! Attack that Winged Kuriboh with Mechanized Melee! Then follow it up on that Topaz Tiger!" Crowler cried out as both monsters got destroyed.
"Sorry, Winged Kuriboh," Jaden apologized to her monster in her head.
Dr, Crowler stopped upon seeing both his opponents didn't lose any Life Points. "Check your gear, your Life Points haven't changed."
"Our gear's fine, thanks to Winged Kuriboh," Jesse said.
"Yeah! On the turn this cutie is destroyed, we take zero damage," Jaden confirmed, much to Crowler's anger.
"How about that, a technique the good doctor didn't know," Alexis noted.
"No one can be expected to know every technique, Alexis, especially one as obscure as that," Zane said.
"Yeah, well those two kids sure knew it," Alexis said with a smile.
As Jaden and Jesse were putting their monsters in their graveyard and Spell and Trap card Zones respectively, Dr. Crowler said, "Fine. Fine. I guess your lame little monster saved you there."
"Hey, hold on a moment there, teach!" Jesse protested. "Winged Kuriboh is a part of Jaden's family!"
"Yeah! You may have beat him, but that doesn't give you the right to call him lame!" Jaden agreed.
"Oh, yes, I forget how attached you new Duelists get to your monsters. I'm sorry," Dr. Crowler sarcastically apologized.
"I wouldn't be too overconfident if I were you, teach," Jesse warned.
"Yeah! You see, by attacking my Winged Kuriboh, you set off a trap card, one of my favorites, too- Hero Singal! And that brings out my second Elemental Hero… Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200 Attack)!" Jaden played.
"Impressive move, Jaden!" Jesse cheered.
"Yes. Impressive. I end my turn with another facedown," Dr. Crowler said.
"Now, it's my move! I play my trap card Crystal Raigeki! With it, I can send one of my kin to the great beyond in exchange for destroying one of your cards! I choose to destroy your Ancient Gear Golem! Next, I play the spell card Monster Reborn to revive the card I just sent there. Say hello once again to Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger (1600 Attack)! Then, I play the next of my Crystal Beasts! Time to meet Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle (1400 Attack)! Now, my kin, attack the good doctor directly!"
Crowler
4000
Jesse
3000
Jaden
2000
"So, had enough of my beasts for this turn?" Jesse proudly asked.
"Not yet! I play my facedown Ancient Gear Haunted Call! Now, by paying half of my Life Points after taking 3000 or more points of damage in one turn, I can Special Summon my Golem from my graveyard back to the field, ignoring its Summoning conditions! (Crowler-2000 LP). You thought that since my Golem couldn't normally be special summoned that you had me beat, did you? But I found a way to counter such a move! Have any other moves you'd like to play before I end my turn?" Dr. Crowler asked.
"Just one. I play my facedown card Rainbow Calling! Now, one player of my choosing can take a card from their Deck and put it on top of their deck! I'm choosin' you, Jaden!" Jesse chose.
"Thanks a lot there, Jesse! Alright, Winged Kuriboh, this one's gonna be for you," Jaden said as she drew her card, Skyscraper. "Here goes nothing'. First off, I'm gonna bring back Avian to my hand with the spell card, The Warrior Returning Alive! And now I'm gonna summon him to the field (1000 Attack)!"
"Okay, okay. Another amateurish mistake… But this is good. This is good. Now, would anyone like to tell me what our little friend did wrong here-," Crowler condescendingly asked.
"Yeah, actually, I wasn't done yet. See, I know my two heroes aren't very powerful by themselves. But if I can form them together, it's another story! And I have just the card to unite them! Polymerization! Join Avian and Burstinatrix! Fusion Summon! There he is! The Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100 Attack)! I hope your Gear Golem is ready for a clash of the titans! So, teach, what do you think?!" Jaden asked cheerfully.
"I think you're dueling very well for an amateur. You and your brother both. But, next time, try playing a monster that has more Attack Points than what's already out," Dr. Crowler said, getting the attention of many that were present.
"What's he mean?" Syrus asked.
"He means that Wingman's Attack Points are no match for his Golem's 3000. Shame, too, because when the Wingman destroys a monster, that monster's Attack Points are dealt as damage to its owner," Bastion explained.
"Wait, you mean they're deducted right out of his Life Points?! Aw, that would've been a great way for Jaden to turn things around," Syrus said.
"Well…If your friend's as good as he says he is, he might still find a way."
"Wow, did we really seem like friends?"
"All right, young scholar, I don't mean to rush you, but I am a busy man! Are you done yet? I can't waste any more time dueling you or your brother," Crowler grumbled.
"Done? I don't think so!" Jesse said.
"Yeah! Of course I'm not done yet! And of course we both knew my Wingman had less Attack Points than your Golem! That's why I have this, thanks to Jesse! Skyscraper!" Jaden yelled out as a bunch of virtual buildings formed across the arena, with Flame Wingman landing on the top of one of them.
"Looks like you've got this, Jaden! Let 'em have it!" Jesse cried out.
"All right, Flame Wingman, go show those heroics and attack that Ancient Gear Golem!" Jaden yelled.
"Fine with me. Bring him on! This silly little Skyscraper Field Card hasn't lowered my Golem's attack level by one point!" Crowler reminded Jaden.
"You know what, teach, you're right! This Skyscraper Field hasn't lowered your Golem's Attack Points, what it's done is raise my Elemental Hero Wngman's by a towering grand total of… 1000!" Jaden revealed.
"Wait… Time-out!" Crowler yelled in fearful shock as his Golem was attacked.
"Go, Skydive Scorcher(3100 Attack)!" Jaden commanded.
"This can't be! He was my very best card! There is no way you two could have beaten him for good!" Crowler cried out as he was hit by rubble.
"Oh, believe it teach! But the fun doesn't end there!" Jesse said.
"Right! Because of my Wingman's super power… the Attack Points of that Golem are dealt straight to your Life Points! Sweet, huh?" Jaden said as Crowler tried to run away from his collapsing monster, only for his monster to land on him and his Life Points to hit zero.
"That's game! So, I guess I passed the test, huh, teach?!" Jaden asked Crowler.
"I'd say we did! Duel Academy here we come!" Jesse cheered.
"Impossible! There's no way these delinquents could defeat me!" Crowler growled.
Meanwhile, Chazz was growling to himself over Jesse and Jaden's victory. "It must be dumb luck. No way Crowler could lose to some flunky," Chazz grumbled.
"Those two kids have a future here!" Alexis said with a grin. "Wow." However, very quickly, she noticed Zane walk away without a word.
Syrus was cheering over Jaden's and Jesse's victory. "All right! Yeah, Jaden! Jesse!"
"Nice. I could use a little competition," Bastion thought to himself.
"We made the Academy, Jesse! Can you believe it?!" Jaden cheered.
"See? I knew we would find our way in to this place! Yugi and the others will be so happy!" Jesse said as he exchanged a nod with Ruby Carbuncle.
"Yeah, thanks a lot Winged Kuriboh! And from now on… the two of us will be Dueling partners," Jaden said as she saw Winged Kuriboh wink at her.